Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-07-01
SHORTHAND WRITERS.
WHAT THEY MAKE AT THE NATIONAL
CAPITAL.

|, ing OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Secretarie
of acknowledgement Men and Shor,
hand Work-Gossip About Public Mer
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, June a
There is an army Of shorthand writers i
Washington, and the business increases her
very year. The government department
IRE full of them, and there is scarcely a room
which has not one or more of them. Each o
he cabinet ministers has special shorthan,
nan for his own work, and of late years Their
scarcely congressman or senator who doe
Iot employ one. The secretaries Of senator
IRE paid by the government and the wage
hey receive is SIX dollars day. Stenogra
ohers in the departments have regular sala
| les, ranging from a thousand dollars no
wards, and it would not be an over estimat.
% say that fully a half million dollars is paio
| out every year here for stenographic work
| Dennis Murphy, the man who for a gener
| ltlon has reported the United States Senate
| gets $"5 900 year for the job, and each OF
he five official reporters of the house of rep
resentatives is paid 5000 year. The
Jerks Of the committees of the house and
senate are usually shorthand men, and they
receive salaries Of from $500 to $4,000 =
year. The presidents stenographer has an
annual salary of 81 800, Secretary Fairchild's
gets $4,000, Secretary Endicott's 1000. and
the man who makes pot hooks for Villas
$500.
Many OF these private secretaries are on
tuty the year round, and those in the depart-
menus nave one months vacation, which they
Usually take in the summer. The stenogra
Dhers to senators follow them to their homes
n mi fat y<.r&l
heir stenographers with them wherever
hey go. 49,
"A number of the members Of the lowe,
house employ stenographers at their own ex
ense, and many of them have these come Ia
hem in the evening, during the session. when
hey dictate answers to their letters. and
"ometimes prepare their speeches, delivering
hem first to the stenographer and then re-
'ising his manuscript. Such work is, as a
-nle, not very we'll paid, and the average
congressman jews bis stenograpber down to
Inc lowest possible point. Such work is very
lard, Tor the congressman must have his
nall written ont by hand and not copied on
he typewriter. If he sends it home in print
his constituents think they are receiving a
circular, and in the other case thew do not
Know but the congressman has written the
letter himself -
The lawyers Of Washington, as a rule. Use
'horthand men, and the most noted court re-
'orters here are Johns, Easton and Clepbane
each OF these makes a salary which approxi-
mates that OF supreme court Judge. and it
Is my remembrance that the Star Route trials
paid the reporters $4,000 for the Job. The
oulteau trlal was also profitable. and one
man named Alexander received $4,000 for
reporting 1t. The leading law reporters have
BUSINESS mere, and the business appears to be
as 4esitlmate and as prominent as that Of the
law itseH'
There are different grades among the STEM
ogra piers and the best en,n,oy .,,,,,,
to help them. They redictate their notes 70
''"sn, a"d have them cony them out for them
Many man who can write accurately losos
his head when 200 words are given him Tba
200 word men take down the worl, from tha;,
employers and get the 100 word mon to tran
scribe it for about one tenth the price which |
they receive. A number of these amanuanses |
are employed at the Capitol. and thew raceivo
81 for column of The Record, and might he |
able to write at least 100 words minute
~.
There are few women stenograpbers at |
w ashingtpn, tn ough there number scattared
over the country who make good wages. ona
| sister of Miss Sprague, the author of aTbe
Trifer," left Washington some wears
'go and opened a stenographer's office in New
York. She makes now, l understand a. 600
year. There is Miss Palmer somewhere
II New York state who is said to make a. ono
year, and Miss Ballentine whose income
5 said to be $1,000 The women who do
Topographic work in the departments here
re very few, though there are some. MANY
owever, do typewriting, and the click of the
typewriter has become as familiar as the
rratch Of the pen. Remingtons and cali
raphs are used by hundreds, and there are
pwards OF thousand in the various depart.
lehCs' ***
A great deal OF the literary work of Wash
,gton Is done with stenographic aid. Sunset
OK dictated large part of his three De-
aues Oh Federal legislation" Blaine die
ated some OF his "Twenty Years of Con
ress' and Bancroft uses stenographer req.
larly as he pegs away at his history. /
'ieo on Judge Kelley day or so ago and
'unu him debating some literary matter
! ms seehographer, and as for Spofford, the
orarian' ne uses stenographer regularly,
AL can ValK as smoothly as he writes. The
'"spaper men use stenographers here to a
extent during the session, and
no le.rer Is Deing dictated to one. Ben:
''ly ioore writes his letters with the aid
NIsav.